Jonathan Lekkerimaki of Sweden speaks during a news conference after being selected by the Vancouver Canucks as the fifteenth overall pick during the first round of the 2022 NHL draft in Montreal, Thursday, July 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks say they have signed last year’s top draft pick to a three-year entry level contract.
General manager Patrik Allvin says the NHL team and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki have reached a deal.
The Canucks drafted Lekkerimaki, who plays right wing, 15th overall in the first round of the 2022 NHL entry draft.
The Swedish international completed the 2022-23 season with Djurgardens IF of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden, helping the team reach the seventh game of the league’s final playoff series.
In 29 regular-season games with Djurgardens, he recorded nine points and four penalty minutes before suffering a regular-season ending injury in February.
Internationally, he helped lead Sweden to a gold medal at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championship where he led the tournament in scoring with 15 points in six games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2023.
